AHL Springfield Thunderbirds

Anas, Hershey Squeak Past T-Birds, 3-2

Published on April 7, 2023 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Thunderbirds News Release


Springfield Thunderbirds' Adam Gaudette versus Hershey Bears' Vincent Iorio
Springfield Thunderbirds' Adam Gaudette versus Hershey Bears' Vincent Iorio
(Springfield Thunderbirds)

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Springfield Thunderbirds (36-24-3-5, 80 points) could not quite squeak out a point in a 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Hershey Bears (42-17-5-4, 93 points) on Friday night in front of a sold-out MassMutual Center.

An innocent rush got the visitors on the board first just 2:11 into the opening period, as Hendrix Lapierre just funneled a backhander to the feet of Joel Hofer from the right circle. Hofer made the save, but unfortunately for the Springfield goalie, the rebound careened off his own teammate's skate and back across the goal line, handing the Bears a 1-0 advantage on Lapierre's 12th goal of the season.

The unfortunate bounce may have quieted the sellout crowd for a time, but Springfield did rally to tie the score just over 10 minutes later as Mikhail Abramov arrived at the edge of the crease to find a rebound off an Austin Osmanski point shot and slip it across the goal line behind Hunter Shepard to tie the game, 1-1. While not ruled a goal initially on the ice, replay review quickly credited Abramov with his eighth goal of the season and second as a T-Bird.

Hershey, though, would get their lead back as Garrett Pilon jumped off the bench to intercept a puck in the Springfield zone before roofing a glove-side snapper past Hofer at 16:08. Pilon's second point of the opening frame had the Bears in front 2-1 after the first period's conclusion.

Springfield's fourth forward line brought the energy and, in turn, brought the tying goal at the 3:34 mark of the second. Mitchell Hoelscher got to a puck along the left-wing wall and centered it toward the goal crease. Greg Printz spun a backhand shot that Shepard kicked away, but Keean Washkurak arrived down the center lane to jam it through the Hershey goalie, tying the game, 2-2.

The Thunderbirds never let off the offensive throttle all night, tallying 39 shots against a Bears team that had been allowing a league-low 25.96 per game. Despite three power play chances in the final 40 minutes, however, Springfield was unable to score. The Hershey power play, though, found the twine at 5:34 of the third, as former T-Bird Sam Anas ripped a shot over Hofer's glove to give the Bears a 3-2 advantage.

Springfield would not go down easily, forcing Shepard into making 13 third period saves, including a blistering slapper from Martin Frk in the game's dying seconds.

While they did not get any points in the standings, the T-Birds did receive some help elsewhere, as both Bridgeport and Charlotte lost in regulation, allowing Springfield to stay in third place in the Atlantic. The magic number for clinching a playoff spot is now just 1, and the T-Birds can punch their ticket to the postseason with a win or overtime/shootout loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Saturday night at PPL Center. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m.

Thunderbirds fans can reserve their seats for upcoming games by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.

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Images from this story

Springfield Thunderbirds' Adam Gaudette versus Hershey Bears' Vincent Iorio
Springfield Thunderbirds' Adam Gaudette versus Hershey Bears' Vincent Iorio
   



American Hockey League Stories from April 7, 2023


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